Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Review-Cooking Made Much Easier

What is an Instant Pot

The Instant Pot Pressure Cooker was created by a group of Canadian technology veterans that wanted to make cooking easier and healthier for busy families. The hope was to have people eating less fast food. It is made of food grade stainless steel. Their objective was to have a pot that was dependable and safe.

The instant pot pressure cooker is a programmable multi-purpose cooking pot. It can be used as a slow cooker, rice cooker, yogurt maker, cake maker, egg cooker, steamer, sterilizer, warmer and can also saute. It is like having 9 pots in one easy to use pot. The instant pot allows you to cook fast (with pressure-cooking function) or has a slow cook option.

The high and low pressure allows you to brown foods and also you can thicken your food, such as gravy, after cooking. There really isn’t a lot that you can’t do with this pot. Cooking with the instant pot allows you to cook your meal without constantly keeping your eye on the stove. The pressure cooker will cook your meal in considerably less time.

Is safety an issue?

The instant pot pressure cooker is food safe. The instant Pot has many built-in mechanisms that help prevent a horrible mistake. There is an automatic pressure release value to prevent the pressure building up but if this should fail, there is a sensor to shut off the heating element. The lid has two safety latches to stop you from opening the pot while is under pressure.

Pros and Cons

The Pros:

multi-purpose pot

faster meals

built in safety features

slow cooking or faster pressure-cooking

easy to read display buttons

stainless steel food grade pot

all parts except the cooker base are dishwasher safe for easy cleanup.

The Cons

Must read manual

The 8 qt is probably too large for some families but there are smaller ones

It is a pressure cooker, it will need to realest the pressure before removing lid.

Cannot be used for pressure canning

need to use recipes especially for pressure cooker to insure they will be right.

Conclusion

The instant pot is an essential kitchen gadget for the busy kitchen. You can put your food in the pot in the morning and go off for the day or you can come home and have a meal ready in a short period of time. As you can see the pros out weight the cons. I have family members that use the instant pot for almost everything they cook including making a cake.

A recipe you may enjoy.

Foolproof Instant Pot Chicken Breast Recipe or how to cook boneless chicken breasts from fresh or frozen perfectly every time. Then shred or cube, and use in your favorite dishes throughout the week.

Author: ifoodreal.com

Prep Time: 2 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 22 minutes

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

3 lbs boneless chicken breasts, fresh or frozen*

1 cup water

2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

Ground black pepper, to taste

To the Instant Pot, add water and place trivet with handles inside. Lay chicken breasts in a single layer (if using frozen make sure they are separated) and sprinkle with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Toss to coat evenly with tongs or hands.

Close the lid, set pressure vent to Sealing and press Pressure Cooking on High for 20 minutes for fresh or 25 minutes for frozen chicken breasts. Display will say ON, Instant Pot will take about 10 minutes to come to pressure, you will see a bit of steam coming out from a valve, then float valve will rise and countdown will begin.

After 20-25 minutes your chicken is ready, Instant Pot will beep, display will say OFF and now it needs to bring pressure down before you can open it, which will be indicated by a dropped down float valve. It is called Natural Release and I don’t recommend to do Quick Release (turning sealing valve to Venting position) with this recipe. It should take about 10-15 minutes.

Open the lid and your chicken breasts are ready for meal prep, casseroles, salads etc. Shred or cube, and save the stock at the bottom for soup. If using frozen chicken breasts, make sure they are separated.

Think about it before freezing a whole tray, separate them with parchment paper

Please feel free to leave any comments or questions you may have and I will answer as soon I can. Your feedback is welcome and appreciated.